Patent Application
20190389554
The present disclosure generally relates to buoyant aerial vehicle systems, and more particularly, to means for conserving energy during flight and operation of buoyant aerial vehicle systems.
Some aerial vehicles may include a balloon having an internally disposed ballonet for adjusting the altitude of the balloon. However, these vehicles typically have substantial power requirements, whether in the form of batteries or fuel, to power the motors and other operational equipment of the vehicle. As such, more energy efficient buoyant aerial vehicles are desirable.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a buoyant aerial vehicle system is provided and includes a balloon configured to store a gas, a ballonet configured to selectively receive and discharge a gas to adjust the altitude of the balloon, and an energy regeneration assembly coupled to the ballonet. The energy regeneration assembly includes a turbine and an electric motor operably coupled to the turbine. The turbine is coupled to an outlet of the ballonet, such that gas released by the bayonet activates the turbine. The electric motor is configured to convert mechanical energy received from the turbine into electrical energy and convey the electrical energy to a battery of the system.
In aspects, the turbine may include a rotatable wheel and an axle non-rotatably coupled to the wheel. The axle may extend through the electric motor.
In aspects, the electric motor may include a magnetic rotor non-rotatably coupled to the axle, such that a rotation of the wheel results in a rotation of the magnetic rotor.
In aspects, the electric motor may include an electrical stator disposed about the magnetic rotor. The magnetic rotor may be configured to rotate within and relative to the electrical stator.
In aspects, the turbine may have a plurality of vanes extending radially outward from the wheel. The vanes may be configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis defined by the axle upon gas releasing from the ballonet.
In aspects, the system may further include a controller configured to direct the electrical energy to a battery.
In aspects, the system may further include a compressor in fluid communication with the ballonet for supplying compressed air to an interior of the ballonet.
In aspects, the compressor may be operably coupled to the electric motor.
In aspects, the compressor may be powered by the electric motor.
In aspects, wheel may be non-rotatably coupled to a first end of the axle and the compressor may be non-rotatably coupled to a second end of the axle.
In aspects, the electric motor may include a magnetic rotor non-rotatably coupled to the axle at a location between the wheel and the compressor, such that the magnetic rotor, the wheel, and the compressor rotate together.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, a buoyant aerial vehicle system is provided and includes a balloon configured to store a gas, a payload coupled to the balloon, a ballonet configured to selectively receive and discharge a gas to adjust the altitude of the payload, and an energy regeneration assembly. The energy regeneration assembly includes a turbine, a compressor, and an electric motor operably coupled to the turbine. The turbine is in fluid communication with a passageway of the ballonet, such that gas released by the ballonet activates the turbine. The compressor is in fluid communication with the passageway of the ballonet for supplying compressed gas to the ballonet. The electric motor is configured to power the compressor and convert mechanical energy received from the turbine into electrical energy and convey the electrical energy to a battery.
Further details and aspects of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in more detail below with reference to the appended figures.
Various aspects and features of the present systems and methods are described herein below with references to the drawings, wherein:
The present disclosure is directed to buoyant aerial vehicle systems capable of controlled flight. The buoyant aerial vehicle systems include a balloon containing a lifting gas that has a lower density than air, and a ballonet for adjusting the altitude of the balloon. To lower the balloon, the ballonet is inflated with a suitable amount of compressed gas, thereby increasing the overall density of the air in the balloon. To raise or lift the balloon, the ballonet is deflated by releasing a suitable amount of the gas, thereby decreasing the overall density of the air in the balloon. The buoyant aerial vehicle systems of the present disclosure implement an energy regeneration assembly for recapturing energy that would otherwise be lost during the ballonet's release of the gas during descent. The energy regeneration assembly includes a turbine that absorbs the mechanical energy in the gas being discharged from the ballonet, and an electric motor that converts the mechanical energy received from the turbine into electrical energy. The electrical energy may then be conveyed to a battery or batteries of the system for later use. In some embodiments, the air compressor, the turbine, and the electric motor may be constructed as an integral unit disposed within the outlet of the ballonet.
Although the present disclosure makes particular reference to super-pressure balloons, which are designed to float at an altitude in the atmosphere where the density of the balloon system is equal to the density of the atmosphere, this is being used for illustrative purposes only. The energy regeneration assembly according to the present disclosure may be used with any vehicle that maintains altitude at least in part by using buoyancy, such as other types of balloons, airships, and the like.
With reference to
Although the present disclosure is provided in the context of an embodiment where the system 100 includes multiple computing devices 104 and multiple data sources 106, in other embodiments the system 100 may include a single computing device 104 and a single data source 106. Further, although
In various embodiments, the aerial vehicle 102 may be configured to perform a variety of functions or provide a variety of services, such as, for instance, telecommunication services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) service), hurricane monitoring services, ship tracking services, services relating to imaging, astronomy, radar, ecology, conservation, and/or other types of functions or services. Computing devices 104 control the position (also referred to as location) and/or movement of the aerial vehicles 102 throughout the atmosphere or beyond, to facilitate effective and efficient performance of their functions or provision of their services, as the case may be. The computing devices 104 are configured to obtain a variety of types of data from a variety of sources and, based on the obtained data, communicate messages to the aerial vehicle 102 to control its position and/or movement during flight.
With continued reference to
The system 100 includes a vehicle controller 126 configured for controlling the amount of air in the ballonets 116 to adjust the buoyancy of the aerial vehicle 102 to assist in controlling its position and/or movement during flight. In various embodiments, the vehicle controller 126 is configured to control the ballonets 116 based at least in part upon an altitude command that is generated by, and received from, the computing devices 104 by way of the wireless communication link 108 and the transceiver 132.
The vehicle controller 126 controls a pump and a valve (neither of which are explicitly shown) to pump air into the ballonet 116 (from air outside the aerial vehicle 102) to increase the mass (i.e., density) of the aerial vehicle 102 and lower its altitude. Additionally, the vehicle controller 126 may direct the pump and valve to release air from the ballonets 116 (into the atmosphere outside the aerial vehicle 102) to decrease the mass of the aerial vehicle 102 and increase its altitude. The system may include an air compressor 202 (
The aerial vehicle 102 may also include one or more solar panels 134 affixed thereto. As shown in
The gondola 114 includes a variety of components, some of which may or may not be included, depending upon the application and/or needs of the aerial vehicle 102. Although not expressly shown in
In some embodiments, the sensors 128 include a global positioning system (GPS) sensor that senses and outputs location data, such as latitude, longitude, and/or altitude data corresponding to a latitude, longitude, and/or altitude of the aerial vehicle 102 in the Earth's atmosphere. The sensors 128 are configured to provide the location data to the computing devices 104 by way of the wireless transceiver 132 and the wireless communication link 108 for use in controlling the aerial vehicle 102, as described in further detail below.
The energy storage module 124 includes one or more batteries that store electrical energy provided by the solar panels 134 for use by the various components of the aerial vehicle 102. The power plant 122 obtains electrical energy stored by the energy storage module 124 and converts and/or conditions the electrical energy to a form suitable for use by the various components of the aerial vehicle 102.
The on-board equipment 130 may include a variety of types of equipment, depending upon the application or needs, as outlined above. For example, the on-board equipment 130 may include LTE transmitters and/or receivers, weather sensors, imaging equipment, and/or any other suitable type of equipment.
With reference to
The turbine 202 includes a rotatable wheel 206 and a plurality of vanes or blades 208a, 208b extending radially outward from the wheel 206. The vanes 208a, 208b are circumferentially spaced from one another about the wheel 206. The vanes 208a, 208b are configured effect a rotation of the wheel 206 upon air passing out of the outlet 117 in the direction indicated by arrow “A” in
With continued reference to
In operation, to increase the altitude of the system 100, the controller 126 directs the valve of the ACS to open, whereby gas within the ballonet 116 is forced through the outlet 117 of the ballonet 116 due to the relatively high internal pressure within the ballonet 116. As the gas passes over the vanes 208a, 208b of the turbine 202 of the energy regeneration assembly 200, the wheel 206 and the attached axle 210 rotate about a longitudinal axis “X” defined by the axle 210. Since the magnetic rotor 216 of the electric motor 204 is fixed relative to the axle 210, rotation of the axle 210 causes the magnetic rotor 216 to rotate within and relative to the electrical stator 218. Rotation of the magnetic rotor 216 induces electrons to flow in the electrical stator 218. The electricity generated in the electrical stator 218 of the electric motor 204 may be directed, via a command from the controller 126, to the batteries in the energy storage module 124. As such, the potential energy stored in the ballonet 116, which is converted to mechanical energy in the form of gas discharging from the ballonet 116 during ascent, is converted into electrical energy and stored for later utilization by the system 100.
With reference to
In contrast to the energy regeneration assembly 200 of
In operation, to increase the altitude of the system 100, the controller 126 directs the valve of the ACS to open, whereby air within the ballonet 116 is forced through the outlet 117 of the ballonet 116 due to the relatively high internal pressure within the ballonet 116. As the air passes over the wheel 306 of the turbine 302, the wheel 306 and the attached axle 310 rotate about a longitudinal axis defined by the axle 310. Since the magnetic rotor 316 of the electric motor 304 is fixed relative to the axle 310, rotation of the axle 310 causes the magnetic rotor 316 to rotate within and relative to the electrical stator 318. The rotating magnetic rotor 316 induces electrons to flow in the electrical stator 318. The electricity generated in the electrical stator 318 of the electric motor 304 may be directed, via a command from the controller 126, to the batteries in the energy storage module 124. As such, the mechanical energy of the outflowing air is converted into electrical energy and stored for a later use by the system 100.
To decrease the altitude of the system 100, the controller 126 actuates the electric motor 304 of the energy regeneration assembly 300 while directing the pump of the ACS to move air (e.g., from the atmosphere) into the passageway 117 of the ballonet 116. Since the electric motor 304 is activated, the electric motor 304 drives a rotation of the compressor 305 via the axle 310, whereby the compressor 305 compresses the air prior to allowing the air to enter the interior of the ballonet 116. As the compressed air enters the ballonet 116, the density of the system 100 increases, causing the system 100 to reduce its altitude. In this way, the electric motor 304 of the energy regeneration assembly 300 functions both to activate the compressor 304 and convert mechanical energy derived from the turbine 302 into electrical energy.
The embodiments disclosed herein are examples of the present systems and methods and may be embodied in various forms. For instance, although certain embodiments herein are described as separate embodiments, each of the embodiments herein may be combined with one or more of the other embodiments herein. Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present information systems in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Like reference numerals may refer to similar or identical elements throughout the description of the figures.
The phrases “in an embodiment,” “in embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” or “in other embodiments” may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure. A phrase in the form “A or B” means “(A), (B), or (A and B).” A phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, or C” means “(A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C).”
The systems and/or methods described herein may utilize one or more controllers to receive various data and transform the received data to generate an output. The controller may include any type of computing device, computational circuit, or any type of processor or processing circuit capable of executing a series of instructions that are stored in a memory. The controller may include multiple processors and/or multicore central processing units (CPUs) and may include any type of processor, such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor, microcontroller, programmable logic device (PLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. The controller may also include a memory to store data and/or instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform one or more methods and/or algorithms. In exemplary embodiments that employ a combination of multiple controllers and/or multiple memories, each function of the systems and/or methods described herein can be allocated to and executed by any combination of the controllers and memories.
Any of the herein described methods, programs, algorithms or codes may be converted to, or expressed in, a programming language or computer program. The terms “programming language” and “computer program,” as used herein, each include any language used to specify instructions to a computer, and include (but is not limited to) the following languages and their derivatives: Assembler, Basic, Batch files, BCPL, C, C+, C++, Delphi, Fortran, Java, JavaScript, machine code, operating system command languages, Pascal, Perl, PL1, scripting languages, Visual Basic, metalanguages which themselves specify programs, and all first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or further generation computer languages. Also included are database and other data schemas, and any other meta-languages. No distinction is made between languages which are interpreted, compiled, or use both compiled and interpreted approaches. No distinction is made between compiled and source versions of a program. Thus, reference to a program, where the programming language could exist in more than one state (such as source, compiled, object, or linked) is a reference to any and all such states. Reference to a program may encompass the actual instructions and/or the intent of those instructions.
Any of the herein described methods, programs, algorithms or codes may be contained on one or more non-transitory computer-readable or machine-readable media or memory. The term “memory” may include a mechanism that provides (in an example, stores and/or transmits) information in a form readable by a machine such a processor, computer, or a digital processing device. For example, a memory may include a read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, or any other volatile or non-volatile memory storage device. Code or instructions contained thereon can be represented by carrier wave signals, infrared signals, digital signals, and by other like signals.
The foregoing description is only illustrative of the present systems and methods. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances. The embodiments described with reference to the attached drawing figures are presented only to demonstrate certain examples of the disclosure. Other elements, steps, methods, and techniques that are insubstantially different from those described above and/or in the appended claims are also intended to be within the scope of the disclosure.
